Baltimore City, County Public Schools Closing Early Due To Heat

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A steamy day outside with soaring temperatures and humidity made it even hotter inside schools without air conditioning. Both Baltimore City and county schools closed early Wednesday.

Meghan McCorkell has more on why the hot classrooms have some parents seeing red.

Some parents say they're upset students are sitting in scorching classrooms and want to know when air conditioning will be installed.

The closing bell rang early as the temperature and humidity rose outside and inside classrooms.

"It was really, really hot. It felt like the summer was in there," said one.

Students felt the heat for hours inside buildings without air conditioning in Baltimore City and county. Some say it's reaching triple digit temperatures inside.

"It's smoldering in there. The only cool spot is the office," said grandmother Ernestine Johnson.

Parents were pulled from work as schools dismissed early.

At Pleasant Plains Elementary in Towson, Shekeyda Coates worried about her daughter's health.

"I bought her a battery-operated fan so that she would be cool because she has asthma," she said.

"We couldn't really learn anything that well," said fourth grader Selea Coates.

In Baltimore County, around 30% of the school buildings aren't equipped with air conditioning.

"It was hot. It was definitely hot," said one student.

It's the same story in Baltimore City, where 69 school buildings have no AC.

"The first week of school, his teacher told him to bring water because it was so hot in the classroom and they would dehydrate. Even the teachers were drenched in sweat," said mother Sanora Dutton.

Some parents say they wish upgrades would come soon.

"I wish they all had air conditioning," said one.

"They should have air in the whole school. Or don't send them," said grandmother Veneta Payne.

Until then, kids are honest about how it feels inside.

"I was sweating like crap in there," said kindergartener Mason Weatherley. "It was really bad."

And they'll keep sweating it out until the weather breaks.

School officials say they carefully monitor conditions in each school.

Baltimore County officials say they are working on a plan to fully air condition most schools over the next 10 years.